Harvest permits; delete repealer on provisions establishing maximum weight and approved routes of vehicles.

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To: Highways and
Transportation
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Younger, Whaley

SENATE BILL NO. 2270

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-5-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
DELETE THE REPEALER ON THE PROVISIONS OF LAW THAT PROVIDE FOR THE 2
MAXIMUM WEIGHT OF HARVEST PERMIT VEHICLES AND REQUIRE CERTAIN 3
HARVEST PERMIT HOLDERS TO OBTAIN PRIOR APPROVAL FOR THEIR ROUTES; 4
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. Section 63-5-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 7
amended as follows: 8
63-5-33. (1) Subject to the limitations imposed on wheel 9
and axle loads by Section 63-5-27, and to the further limitations 10
hereinafter specified, the total combined weight (vehicles plus 11
load) on any group of axles of a vehicle or a combination of 12
vehicles shall not exceed the value given in the following table 13
(Table III) corresponding to the distance in feet between the 14
extreme axles of the group, measured longitudinally to the nearest 15
foot, on those highways or parts of highways designated by the 16
Mississippi Transportation Commission as being capable of carrying 17
the maximum load limits and, in addition thereto, such other 18
highways or parts of highways found by the commission to be 19
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suitable to carry the maximum load limits from an engineering 20
standpoint, and so designated as such by order of the commission 21
entered upon its minutes and published once each week for three 22
(3) consecutive weeks in a daily newspaper published in this state 23
and having a general circulation therein. The maximum total 24
combined weight carried on any group of two (2) or more 25
consecutive axles shall be determined by the formula contained in 26
the Federal Weight Law enacted January 4, 1975, as follows: W=500 27
(LN/N-1+12N+36) where W=maximum weight in pounds carried on any 28
group of two (2) or more axles computed to the nearest five 29
hundred (500) pounds, L=distance in feet between the extremes of 30
any group of two (2) or more consecutive axles, and N=number of 31
axles in any group under consideration. 32
TABLE III 33
DISTANCE 34
IN FEET 35
BETWEEN THE 36
EXTREMES OF 37
ANY GROUP 38
OF 2 OR MORE 39
CONSECUTIVE MAXIMUM LOAD IN POUNDS CARRIED ON ANY 40
AXLES GROUP OF 2 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE AXLES 41
2 axles 3 axles 4 axles 5 axles 6 axles 7 axles 42
4 34,000 43
5 34,000 44
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6 34,000 Axle groups in 45
7 34,000 46
8 and 47
less 34,000 34,000 these spacings 48
More 49
than 50
8 38,000 42,000 51
9 39,000 42,500 52
10 40,000 43,500 impractical 53
11 44,000 54
12 45,000 50,000 55
13 45,500 50,500 56
14 46,500 51,500 57
15 47,000 52,000 58
16 48,000 52,500 58,000 59
17 48,500 53,500 58,500 60
18 49,500 54,000 59,000 61
19 50,000 54,500 60,000 62
20 51,000 55,500 60,500 66,000 63
21 51,500 56,000 61,000 66,500 64
22 52,500 56,500 61,500 67,000 65
23 53,000 57,500 62,500 68,000 66
24 54,000 58,000 63,000 68,500 74,000 67
25 54,500 58,500 63,500 69,000 74,500 68
26 55,500 59,500 64,000 69,500 75,000 69
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27 56,000 60,000 65,000 70,000 75,500 70
28 57,000 60,500 65,500 71,000 76,500 71
29 57,500 61,500 66,000 71,500 77,000 72
30 58,500 62,000 66,500 72,000 77,500 73
31 59,000 62,500 67,500 72,500 78,000 74
32 60,000 63,500 68,000 73,000 78,500 75
33 64,000 68,500 74,000 79,000 76
34 64,500 69,000 74,500 80,000 77
35 65,500 70,000 75,000 80,000 78
36 66,000 70,500 75,500 80,000 79
37 66,500 71,000 76,000 80,000 80
38 67,500 71,500 77,000 80,000 81
39 68,000 72,500 77,500 80,000 82
40 68,500 73,000 78,000 80,000 83
41 69,500 73,500 78,500 80,000 84
42 70,000 74,000 79,000 80,000 85
43 70,500 75,000 80,000 80,000 86
44 71,500 75,500 80,000 80,000 87
45 72,000 76,000 80,000 80,000 88
46 72,500 76,500 80,000 80,000 89
47 73,500 77,500 80,000 80,000 90
48 74,000 78,000 80,000 80,000 91
49 74,500 78,500 80,000 80,000 92
50 75,500 79,000 80,000 80,000 93
51 76,000 80,000 80,000 80,000 94
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52 76,500 80,000 80,000 80,000 95
53 77,500 80,000 80,000 80,000 96
54 78,000 80,000 80,000 80,000 97
55 78,500 80,000 80,000 80,000 98
56 79,500 80,000 80,000 80,000 99
57 80,000 80,000 80,000 80,000 100
(2) Moreover, in addition to the per axle weight limitations 101
specified by Section 63-5-27, two (2) consecutive sets of tandem 102
axles may carry a gross load of thirty-four thousand (34,000) 103
pounds each, providing that the overall distance between the first 104
and last axles of such consecutive sets of tandem axles is 105
thirty-six (36) feet or more, except that, until September 1, 106
1989, the axle distance for tank trailers, dump trailers and ocean 107
transport container haulers may be thirty (30) feet or more. Such 108
overall gross weight may not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) 109
pounds, except as provided by this section. 110
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 63-5-27 and/or 111
Section 63-5-29 to the contrary, vehicles hauling products in the 112
manner set forth in this subsection, whether or not such vehicles 113
are operating with a harvest permit, shall be allowed a gross 114
weight of not to exceed forty thousand (40,000) pounds on any 115
tandem. Vehicles operating without a harvest permit shall be 116
allowed a tolerance not to exceed five percent (5%) above their 117
authorized gross vehicle weight, tandem or axle weight; except 118
that the maximum gross vehicle weight of any such vehicle shall 119
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not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) pounds plus a tolerance 120
thereon of not more than two percent (2%). Vehicles operating 121
without a harvest permit loading at a point of origin having 122
scales available for weighing the vehicle shall not be eligible 123
for any tolerance over the gross weight limit of eighty thousand 124
(80,000) pounds. Vehicles operating with a harvest permit shall 125
be allowed a tolerance not to exceed ten percent (10%) above their 126
authorized gross vehicle weight, tandem or axle weight, but the 127
maximum gross vehicle weight of any such vehicle shall not exceed 128
eighty-eight thousand (88,000) pounds. However, neither the 129
increased weights in this subsection nor any tolerance shall be 130
allowed on federal interstate highways or on other highways where 131
a tolerance is specifically prohibited by the Transportation 132
Commission, the county board of supervisors or the municipal 133
governing authorities as provided for in Section 63-5-27. The 134
tolerance allowed by this subsection shall only apply to the 135
operation of vehicles from the point of loading to the point of 136
unloading for processing, and to the operation of vehicles hauling 137
sand, gravel, woodchips, wood shavings, sawdust, fill dirt, and 138
agricultural products, and products for recycling or materials for 139
the construction or repair of highways. The range of such 140
operation shall not exceed a radius of one hundred (100) miles 141
except where the products are being transported for processing 142
within this state. 143
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(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 63-5-27 and/or 144
Section 63-5-29 to the contrary, vehicles hauling prepackaged 145
products, unloaded at a state port or to be loaded at a state 146
port, which are containerized in such a manner as to make 147
subdivision thereof impractical shall be allowed a gross weight of 148
not to exceed forty thousand (40,000) pounds on any tandem, and a 149
tolerance not to exceed ten percent (10%) above their authorized 150
gross weight, tandem or axle weight; except that the maximum 151
weight of any vehicle shall not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) 152
pounds plus a tolerance thereon of not more than two percent (2%); 153
however, neither the increased weights in this subsection nor any 154
tolerance shall be allowed on federal interstate highways or on 155
other highways where a tolerance is specifically prohibited by the 156
Transportation Commission, the county board of supervisors or the 157
municipal governing authorities as provided for in Section 158
63-5-27. 159
(5) (a) Vehicles for which a harvest permit has been issued 160
pursuant to Section 27-19-81(4) shall be allowed a gross vehicle 161
weight tolerance of ten percent (10%), not to exceed eighty-eight 162
thousand (88,000) pounds. However, the board of supervisors of 163
any county and the governing authorities of any municipality may 164
designate the roads, streets and highways under their respective 165
jurisdiction on and along which vehicles for which a harvest 166
permit has been issued may travel. This subsection shall not 167
apply to the federal interstate system. 168
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(b) Any owner or operator who has been issued a harvest 169
permit and who wishes to operate a vehicle on the roads, streets 170
or highways under the jurisdiction of a county or municipality at 171
a gross vehicle weight greater than the weight allowed by law or 172
greater than the maximum weight established for such roads, 173
streets or highways by the board of supervisors or municipal 174
governing authorities, shall notify, in writing, the board of 175
supervisors or the governing authorities, as the case may be, 176
before operating such vehicle on the roads, streets or highways of 177
such county or municipality. In the notice, the permit holder 178
shall identify the routes over which the permit holder intends to 179
operate vehicles for which the permit has been issued and the 180
dates or time period during which the person will be operating 181
such vehicles. The board of supervisors or the governing 182
authorities, as the case may be, shall have two (2) working days 183
to respond in writing to the permit holder to notify the permit 184
holder of the routes on and along which the permit holder may 185
operate vehicles for which a harvest permit has been issued. 186
Failure of the board of supervisors or the governing authorities 187
timely to notify the permit holder and to designate the routes on 188
and along which the permit holder may operate shall be considered 189
as authorizing the permit holder to operate on any of the roads, 190
streets or highways of the county or municipality in accordance 191
with the authority granted to the permit holder by the harvest 192
permit. 193
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(c) Any time a timber deed is filed with the chancery 194
clerk, the grantee, at that time, may make a written request of 195
the board of supervisors of the county or the governing 196
authorities of the municipality, as the case may be, for the 197
purpose of providing to the grantee, within three (3) working days 198
of the filing of the request, a designated and approved route over 199
the roads, streets or highways under the jurisdiction of the 200
county or city, as the case may be, that the grantee may travel 201
for the purpose of transporting harvested timber. Upon providing 202
such route designation, the county or city, as the case may be, 203
shall also provide to the grantee a map designating the approved 204
route. An approved route designation provided to a grantee under 205
the provisions of this paragraph shall be valid for a period of 206
six (6) months from its date of issue. The permit authorized to 207
be issued under paragraph (b) of this subsection shall not be 208
required for any person who obtains a permit issued under this 209
paragraph. 210
* * * 211
(6) Nothing in this section or subsections (1) through (4) 212
of Section 63-5-27 shall be construed to deny the operation of any 213
vehicle or combination of vehicles that could be lawfully operated 214
upon the interstate highway system of this state on January 4, 215
1975. 216
(7) (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of Section 63-5-27 217
to the contrary, a vehicle that is operated by an engine fueled 218
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ST: Harvest permits; delete repealer on
provisions establishing maximum weight and
approved routes of vehicles.
primarily by compressed or liquefied natural gas may exceed the 219
gross vehicle weight limits by an amount, not to exceed a maximum 220
of two thousand (2,000) pounds, that is equal to the difference 221
between the weight of the vehicle attributable to the natural gas 222
tank and fueling system carried by the vehicle and the weight of a 223
comparable diesel tank and fueling system. 224
(b) The weight exception provided in this subsection 225
shall apply to all interstate highways per the exemption expressly 226
permitted by 23 USC Section 127. 227
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 228
and after July 1, 2026. 229